ST. LOUIS — In the Atlanta Braves dugout at Busch Stadium late on Sunday afternoon there was desperation, but not panic.

The stakes were high and the bats were cold, sure, but there was certainly an added bit of incentive beyond the obvious in a best-of-five series that was tied at a win apiece. These Braves had just watched their 22-year-old rookie starter, Canada’s own Mike Soroka, lay down a playoff debut for the ages and while trailing 1-0 were about to leave them with nothing to show for it. The line the Calgary native had delivered was as incredible as it was clutch: Seven innings. Two hits. No walks. One run allowed.

And then the magic of baseball happened with an unlikely two-out rally for three runs in the ninth to steal a 3-1 win to reward their young star.

“To come and get the win for our team the way he pitched … that’s what we needed,” said Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman when asked about the effort of the young Calgarian. “That’s why this beautiful game is nine innings long.”

Beautiful, yes, though not always pretty for the Braves as the Cardinals had their own outstanding effort from a starter in 28-year-old veteran, Adam Wainwright.

With the duel between starters over, however, the Braves found a way to rally and set up an opportunity to advance to the National League Championship series with a win back here on Monday afternoon.

There was ice in Soroka’s veins while on the mound in his seven innings of complete dominance, but it was a different story in the dugout. Living on every excruciating pitch, he experienced the intensity of post-season baseball in all of its glory..

“Sitting there in the eighth and ninth inning, I was definitely much more nervous than I was out on the mound,” Soroka said. “My heart was beating out of my chest. “Seeing these guys come back so many times and knowing that it’s always a possibility … that’s pretty cool, too.”

Cool is definitely something the Calgary native knows. He showed it in his days growing up on the Canadian national junior team and throughout his historic rookie season.

And the best part? The magnitude of the moment didn’t change him in the slightest.

“You want to say you’re not surprised, but in a moment like this in such a key game on the road it’s that much more impressive,” Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “So many things with him: His age. The big moment. The big stage. On the road and the series tied 1-1. Lose today and it’s an elimination game tomorrow … it was such a key performance for us.” Though a continuation of his rookie-season mastery, which included the lowest road ERA in the big leagues and a trip to the all-star game, Soroka added some more history. He became the first Canadian-born starter to allow one earned run or fewer in seven innings or more of work and when he retired 17 consecutive batters between Marcell Ozone hits, it was a Braves post-season record.

“He was filthy today,” said Braves third baseman Josh Donaldson, who started off the ninth-inning rally with a leadoff double. “He was dominant. It was just everything he did. It didn’t look to me like they were putting many good swings on the ball.

“He was an all-star this year for a reason. It was one of those huge games for us, the swing game. To go out there and do what he did was pretty special.”

It was so special, yet almost wasted were it not for the unlikely rally and what was going to be high on Wainwright’s career highlight reel. But when Dansby Swanson drove in one and Adam Duvall a pair with consecutive hits with two out, the Braves cashed in for their young teammate.

A master of staying in the moment, Soroka said he didn’t allow the magnitude of the moment affect him. He did, however, take stock of what was at stake.

“I will say that it’s really the first time that nothing else mattered but to get the win for your team,” Soroka said. “We can say that we won that game (because) we went out there as a team to battle. You just want to do it for the guys next to you.

“Prior to that, you make your debut and everything’s about going out and throwing quality innings. Now that doesn’t matter, none of the previous starts you made in the season matter. It’s really just putting that adrenaline to use.”

A pitcher not as strong mentally as Soroka has proven to be might have become rattled by what happened in the second inning. Ozuna made weak contact on a pitch that feathered over first base and essentially rolled to a stop in the shallow outfield. It was a cheap double and eventually resulted in a run after a broken back sacrifice fly.

But if anything, Soroka dug in and became stronger, a trait that has impressed his teammates all season.

“It was just Mike being Mike,” Swanson said. “People say he’s 22, acts like he’s 62. Just his confidence and his ability to pitch on the road, I think, is something that you don’t see very often and you can take for granted very easily. “He goes up there, takes the ball, executes his pitches and never gets rattled with whatever situation comes about.”

ONE COOL CUSTOMER

Mike Soroka’s teammates like to joke about his calmness under pressure, a trait the Calgary-born starting pitcher taps into his Canadian roots to explain.

First, there is his father Gary, a former university hockey player. And secondly his high-stakes experience with Baseball Canada helped prepare him for moments such as his first taste of post-season ball Sunday at Busch Stadium.

“I do think a lot of it comes from my dad’s calmness around sports in general,” Soroka said. “We never have been the type to get too high or too low.

“It’s maybe one of those things you learn having thrown high-leverage games for Baseball Canada when you’re 16, 17 and you’re overmatched to know that you can do it.”

In other words, Soroka’s exposure to pitching against older, professional players when he was a junior helped him prepare for moments like Sunday.

“It’s one of those things where I know if I’m not calm I won’t execute,” Soroka said. “These guys are the best of the best. If you understand and you know that if you don’t calm down, it’s not going to go well. “So to me I just don’t really have a choice but to be calm.”

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.